1998 - Avon Cookies?

We started on Wednesday, Dec. 2, by going shopping at Meijer's. And Winn-Dixie. And Kroger. And Walgreen's. "It started out slow, then it started to grow!" We shopped from noon to 2 p.m. and started baking around 3:30 - probably our latest start in the day ever. But there were things we needed. Like our new Santa timers! We also bought 20 pounds of flour, 15 pounds of sugar, 8 pounds of brown sugar and $12 worth of pecan halves, among many other things.

Is that an Avon apple?

We took a break when our brother, Michael, brought us pizza for lunch. He used a Christmas salt and pepper shaker and commented on how cute it was and asked Lisa where she got it. "Avon," she said. Later, he spotted a decoration that played Christmas music and thought it was pretty cool. Again, he asked where she got it. "Avon." Well, that was enough for him. He launched into a routine inspired by Forrest Gump. "Avon is the fruit of the housewife. There's Avon salt and pepper shakers, Avon ornaments, Avon decorations, Avon pizza, Avon cookies, Avon shrimp ..."  He cracked us up!

Sisters.

After Michael left, we hauled out our aprons, mitts and towels that we got last year. We posed for a photo using the timer on my camera - three times! It was another holiday hoot! And what did we start with? Chocolate Chip Cookies, of course. We finished at 7:30. Two double batches yielded 28 dozen, plus about a dozen we ate with our little brother.

We used margarine this year because butter is about $3 a pound. It was a balmy 70 degrees outside, so the two cookie sheets we had weren't cooling quickly enough. Lisa only knocked over two cookies this time. I vacuum-packed them in plastic freezer bags using a straw to suck the air out. It made them easier to pack in the freezer and should keep them from getting freezer burn (as if they'll be in there long enough for that!).